Democrats say democracy is in peril. So why don’t they stand up to Bob Ferguson? | Opinion

For much of the last four years, Democrats have warned Americans about the threat Donald Trump poses to democracy.

From the Jan. 6 Capitol riot to his phone call telling Georgia’s Secretary of State he wanted to “find 11,780 votes,” Democrats say Trump’s actions amount to nothing short of election interference — something the party takes very seriously.

Or does it?

Imagine for a moment if a Trump-backed candidate for governor asked Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs to break election laws on his or her behalf.

Imagine if that candidate demanded publicly and privately that Hobbs change the order on the ballot to put their name higher up.

Then imagine if authorities refused to investigate that candidate’s conduct until after the election is certified in November.

Democrats would be enraged — and rightfully so.

For a Republican candidate, any whisper of election interference would be the death knell of their campaign in a state like Washington.

But if you’re Attorney General Bob Ferguson?

No big deal.

‘Clear violation of state election law’

On May 13, after conservative watchdog Glen Morgan found two other Bob Fergusons to run for governor as Democrats, Ferguson threatened legal action and sought special treatment from Hobbs, a fellow Democrat.

During a press conference, Ferguson made three demands of Hobbs: Require the other two Bob’s to use the name “Robert” with middle initials, add job titles to help voters tell them apart, and put their names below his on the ballot.

To his last demand, Hobbs’ answer was unequivocal: No.

Hobbs said changing the order on the ballot would be a clear violation of state election law, which dictates ballot order must be set by a random draw.

Later, Hobbs told a reporter with the Washington State Standard that the answer was not satisfactory to Ferguson, and the pressure campaign continued in a phone conversation.

“I was surprised he was asking me to do something that I clearly cannot do because it is in the [law],” Hobbs said at the time.

“He was very upset. It was a spirited conversation.”

Of course, the other two Bobs ended their campaigns under pressure, but not before the attorney general revealed how willing he is to resort to election interference when his campaign is on the line. While I expect as much out of a career politician who has dreamed of occupying the governor’s office for years, I did not expect the news media to treat his actions so uncritically.

A Democrat, who serves as the state’s chief law enforcer, pressuring the state’s top elections official to “push the envelope” to benefit his campaign — and hardly a peep about it in the news? As a former reporter myself, I consider it journalistic malpractice.

If Ferguson was a Republican, that phone call would have sealed his fate — but as a Democrat he emerged from the ordeal completely unscathed.

Progressive hypocrisy

Even Ferguson’s friends at the Washington State Bar Association, which regulates attorney conduct, circled the wagons.

On May 29, State Sen. Mark Mullet, D-Issaquah, who is also running for governor, filed a formal complaint asking the WSBA to investigate Fergson’s actions.

“Bob Ferguson violated common known rules about lawyers recusing themselves from cases where they have a conflict of interest, along with Washington State Executive Ethics rules about not using the power of your elected office to benefit your political campaign,” Mullet’s campaign wrote in a press release.

Mullet said Ferguson’s efforts to pressure Hobbs, specifically his comments over the phone, violated state law.

“This verbal demand then became a Washington State Ethics violation of RCW 42.52.180. AG Ferguson was asking the Secretary of State to violate state law for the benefit of his own political campaign for governor.”

The WSBA’s Office of Disciplinary Counsel responded on June 12 by saying it would hold off on investigating Ferguson’s conduct until after the November election is certified.

“Please inform us when the election results are finally certified and we will consider investigating the grievance.”

So much for no one being above the law.

In full transparency, I have endorsed the campaign of gubernatorial candidate Dave Reichert, seeking an independent-minded candidate to be a check on the party in power. I have also been supportive of Mullet’s campaign, seeing him as a sane alternative to the state’s current brand of progressivism. As both a political commentator and in my previous career as a TV journalist, Bob Ferguson has always struck me as someone far too eager for power — and far too willing to test the limits of that power.

While this ordeal certainly solidifies that opinion, it also shows a glaring moral inconsistency from Democrats who believe such behavior makes Donald Trump unfit for office.

So, the next time Ferguson talks about the threat of Trumpism to democracy, remember his own foray into election interference.

Ask yourself whether someone who would bend the rules to benefit his political career is the type of person we want leading our state.

Brandi Kruse is a political commentator and former Seattle TV journalist. She hosts “unDivided with Brandi Kruse,” a show offering insights and opinions about Washington politics.